An organic optoelectronic component, for example an OLED, may include an anode and a cathode with an organic functional layer system therebetween. The organic functional layer system may include one or a plurality of emitter layer/s in which electromagnetic radiation is generated, for example, one or a plurality of charge generating layer structure(s) each composed of two or more charge generating layers (CGL) for charge generation, and one or a plurality of electron blocking layer(s), also designated as hole transport layer(s) (HTL), and one or a plurality of hole blocking layer(s), also designated as electron transport layer(s) (ETL), in order to direct the current flow.
Optoelectronic components on an organic basis, for example organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), are being increasingly widely used and can be used for the illumination of surfaces. In this case, a surface can be understood for example as a table, a wall or a floor. However, the organic constituents of organic components, for example of organic optoelectronic components, can often be susceptible with regard to harmful environmental influences.
A harmful environmental influence can be understood to mean all influences which can potentially lead to degradation or aging, for example a crosslinked state or crystallization, of organic substances or substance mixtures and may thus limit the operating period of organic components.
A harmful environmental influence can be for example a substance harmful to organic substances or substance mixtures, for example oxygen and/or for example a solvent, for example, water.
For protection against harmful environmental influences, the organic component is encapsulated. During the encapsulation, the organic component is surrounded with an encapsulation layer that is impermeable to harmful environmental influences, for example a thin film that is impermeable to water and oxygen.
The encapsulation layer for thin-film-encapsulated organic, optoelectronic component, for example organic light emitting diodes, as far as possible, should be free of defects. Even a microscopic defect or a diffusion channel along a grain boundary in said encapsulation layer can lead to a defect of the entire OLED. In this case, non-luminous, circular points (black spot) can form in the field of view of the OLED by means of the action of moisture and can grow over the course of time.
In the course of encapsulation, however, the situation in which defects are still located in the encapsulation layer cannot be completely ruled out. In order that the damage for the OLED is kept small, in one conventional method a glass cover is laminated onto the encapsulation layer by means of an epoxy resin adhesive.
The rate at which water diffuses into the optoelectronic component can be reduced by means of the glass cover, such that for example a defect in the encapsulation layer of an OLED is significantly slowed down as it leads to a visible defect in the OLED.
In another conventional method, a glass cover can be applied to the encapsulation layer, for example by means of frit bonding (glass frit bonding/glass soldering/seal glass bonding) by means of a conventional glass solder in the geometrical edge regions of the organic optoelectronic component.